Postgame Avs-Senators: Stars in the making

I came into this game thinking I was in for an easy night. I thought the Avs would win this thing handily tonight against Ottawa, and of course I was dead wrong. Not about the Avs winning, at least.

But even without Paul Stastny, I thought the Avs would make short work of what I consider to be a dog team, the Senators. However…

The Avs did everything they could to give Ottawa a great road win to finish up their Western swing. They turned pucks over with regularity, came out flat as a tortilla and watched Craig Anderson give up five goals for the second time in three nights.

And yet, they got away with it. A team missing its top center and two top right wingers scored six more goals. They lead the league in goals, despite a raft of injuries to their TOP GUYS. Is it OK to call these guys the Amazin’ Avs now? I think it’s getting close.

The Avs won this game because they just didn’t quit, and got some great games from their third and fourth lines. Phillipe Dupuis made got two huge assists, the best being a strip of the puck from loafish Sens D-man Filip Kuba and feed in front that Kevin Porter – another guy who played a solid game – put in the net to make it 4-3.

The best goal of the night, though, had to be Ryan O’Reilly’s far-post shot to tie it 5-5 late. It was a classic give-and-go O’Reilly engineered with Daniel Winnik, and then the same type of goal happened on Matt Duchene’s OT winner.

The Avs are not only a fast team, but give-and-go plays like that make the team so much faster and tougher to defend. They don’t have guys who try to go through four players with the puck with their speed and skill (hello Alex Ovechkin). They make short, quick passes to each other, and keep skating after that.

Teams can NOT keep up with these guys. The Avs’ team speed is totally wreaking havoc on the opposition. The opposing defenses have to hang back a lot, and when the forwards turn the puck over to an Av, they are caught flat-footed as the Avs come racing in on the D, often in an odd-man rush.

That’s partly how the final two goals were scored.

Obviously, this was not a perfect win. Craig Anderson was NOT sharp, but his D made some mistakes too. I’ve really liked Matt Hunwick’s speed and seeming good head for the game, but then he’ll make a horrible turnover at times, like the one on Ottawa’s second goal.

Joe Sacco said Hunwick gets in trouble when he tries to “do too much” out there. I guess I’d have to agree. But I still love his speed and overall willingness to go into the corners and be hard on the puck. Ryan Wilson made a couple of bad plays tonight, and so did Kevin Shattenkirk. But Shatty continues to make up for it at the offensive end, with two more assists tonight. That’s 19 points in 21 games. Incredible – for a guy who was cut in training camp and had zero points in 10 games for Lake Erie before an emergency call-up.

It’s possible, folks, we are looking at a very special team. Yes, it’s still under development. The plaster hasn’t hardened enough yet, to really know what this is underneath. But it’s starting to look to me like we have a team here that:
– has a bunch of young guys starting to believe a little in themselves.
– has a coach that is in perfect sync with the players, who knows their strengths and foibles and how to manipulate just well enough to get the most out of the former to overcome just enough of the latter.
– Has a player, Duchene, who is looking more Sakic-ian (I just made that word up) with every passing week. Why do I say that? Because he’s ratcheted up his play when his team really needed it most. When Chris Stewart went down, everybody panicked a little, and the first couple games without him didn’t go well. But starting with that famous bag skate in Duluth, Ga., the Avs have yet to lose and Dutchy has been the main force out there making it happen.

Duchene’s Twitter account, the bang-bang dance and, tonight, the Lambeau Leap after the OT winner – refreshing and fun, isn’t it? Can you dig this, Avalanche “marketing department?” See what happens when a player wants to have some fun out there, wants to interject with the fans and make them feel closer to the team? Fans flock to that stuff. Well, imagine that!

Seems that kind of stuff sells better than stone-faced players reading a script saying “It’s….all….about….the…A….” like those lame-o TV marketing ads the smart Kroenke Sports guys in their suits thought up before the season.

Hey, how’d that marketing campaign work for ya, Kroenke? We saw padded 12K announced crowds in the first quarter of the season. Basically, fans HATED your marketing approach. So, Duchene basically took control of the marketing department himself – and let’s give credit for this, too, to Duchene’s agency in Beverly Hills, led by Pat Brisson.

They are the ones who advised Duchene to get his Twitter account going, to start a better outreach to fans. Then came the bang-bang dance (I’ll have a big story on that out in Tuesday’s paper), and whaddaya know – fans love it! They’re eating it up. Attendance is already picking up – over 15K announced tonight – and Duchene is getting a roar above all others in the pregame player announcements. This is what they call “Building star power”, and stars sell tickets.

Matt Duchene gets it. The team he plays for didn’t get it, but they can’t argue anymore with the results he’s already created. If this team tries to shut down his Twitter account or want to knock off the bang-bang dance because it’s a little too “individual”, then fine, they can go back to nobody knowing any of the players in this town, and 12,000 crowds.

I don’t think the team wants to go back to that, though. I think, begrudging as they may be, the stick-in-the-mud Avs brass can’t fight the future any longer. They have some players whose stars just can’t be dimmed under a milquetoast sales approach.

Thing is, guys like Duchene are TOTAL team guys. They want the COLORADO AVALANCHE to succeed above all else. Thing is, they just want to have some fun going about it. They want to acknowledge, too, that YOU – YOU in the stands, paying the freight, staying loyal to this team – matter to them. They want to involve you in this process.

I think Duchene approach with fans is working, the attendance of 15k at last two games maybe can prove this.

I’m seeing the respect for the Avs growing when fans of other teams post comments showing some fear of our attack and speed.

The union of this team is something to make us fans really proud, the happiness of this team when they score a goal is contagious, Duchene goal at ot yesterday make me smile about 10 min with a huge pride, let’s keep it up guys!! and GO AVS GO!!!

Leandro

I think Duchene approach with fans is working, the attendance of 15k at last two games maybe can prove this.

I’m seeing the respect for the Avs growing when fans of other teams post comments showing some fear of our attack and speed.

The union of this team is something to make us fans really proud, the happiness of this team when they score a goal is contagious, Duchene goal at ot yesterday make me smile about 10 min with a huge pride, let’s keep it up guys!! and GO AVS GO!!!

I agree with the Coach on Shatty. I fell down a couple of times and a couple of guys made good plays on him but then he would come right back down and do something better.

Again the guy who stands out like a sore thumb was Wilson. Their for-checker would just ride him into the corner and take the puck away. He just doesn’t belong on this team and I am not sure what his ice time is but I couldn’t always tell when he was there and I couldn’t wait for him to leave.

I realize that Matty and the other guys are fun to watch… hell I realized that last year. Glad to see the fans responding as well. Again I think they were always there, they just weren’t at the Pepsi center. I think we owe the increase of attendance to the Groove Subaru commercials if anything.

90mph

(Forechecking).

But you are completely right. I’d say once Cummers is healthy again, give him one last shot to work on this team. He is a great skater (Although he stick-handles like a monkey) and makes some nice passes out there. And since we don’t play a defensive game out there anymore, why not let the offensive guys roll.

Keep: 2 Kyles
Roll Out: Yip, Wilson, Koci

Jay

not sure why you (and a lot of others) want to move Yip. He is the kind of player that helps teams win championships. He’s adjusting to an 82 game schedule rather than around 40 but once the playoffs come… he should really step up.

avsolutely

Cumiskey over Wilson? Get rid of Yip? Koci doesn’t do much for me but seriously. Role players. Ever heard of that? Every championship team has them. Do you ever see Cumiskey take someone into the corners? Bad post.

Saying he sticks out like a sore thumb is just an emotional reaction to you focusing negative attention on him. In my opinion Wilson is exactly what kind of D men the team needs, young agile guys who aren’t afraid to throw the body around. It’s the kind of balance we need on the back end, and just like Duchene and O’Reilly up front, we need to be patient and let this young kid come into his game.

90mph

Not hard to have those stats when Foote, Quincey and Cumiskey have been out for 2/3+ weeks worth of games, not to mention Holos being scratched on a regular basis.

From what im seeing night in and night out, Wilson has been given an opportunity and hasnt grabbed it. He looks down right terrible out there some nights. At least with Cumiskey there is an offensive upside. Cumiskey has a lot still to learn and I think he will be a more effective player than Wilson IMO.

As for trading Yip, it would be in a package with Koci and Wilson to bring in another Right Winger. But currently as it stands in full health i believe our lines should be:

I agree that Wilson has had some bad games this season but I am also in the camp that doesn’t believe he is as bad as the posts on this discussion make him out to be. While Holos is faster, Wilson has more grit and someone has to take the hard hitting reins from Footer when his age finally catches up to him.

I agree with the Coach on Shatty. I fell down a couple of times and a couple of guys made good plays on him but then he would come right back down and do something better.

Again the guy who stands out like a sore thumb was Wilson. Their for-checker would just ride him into the corner and take the puck away. He just doesn’t belong on this team and I am not sure what his ice time is but I couldn’t always tell when he was there and I couldn’t wait for him to leave.

I realize that Matty and the other guys are fun to watch… hell I realized that last year. Glad to see the fans responding as well. Again I think they were always there, they just weren’t at the Pepsi center. I think we owe the increase of attendance to the Groove Subaru commercials if anything.

90mph

(Forechecking).

But you are completely right. I’d say once Cummers is healthy again, give him one last shot to work on this team. He is a great skater (Although he stick-handles like a monkey) and makes some nice passes out there. And since we don’t play a defensive game out there anymore, why not let the offensive guys roll.

Keep: 2 Kyles
Roll Out: Yip, Wilson, Koci

Jay

not sure why you (and a lot of others) want to move Yip. He is the kind of player that helps teams win championships. He’s adjusting to an 82 game schedule rather than around 40 but once the playoffs come… he should really step up.

avsolutely

Cumiskey over Wilson? Get rid of Yip? Koci doesn’t do much for me but seriously. Role players. Ever heard of that? Every championship team has them. Do you ever see Cumiskey take someone into the corners? Bad post.

Saying he sticks out like a sore thumb is just an emotional reaction to you focusing negative attention on him. In my opinion Wilson is exactly what kind of D men the team needs, young agile guys who aren’t afraid to throw the body around. It’s the kind of balance we need on the back end, and just like Duchene and O’Reilly up front, we need to be patient and let this young kid come into his game.

90mph

Not hard to have those stats when Foote, Quincey and Cumiskey have been out for 2/3+ weeks worth of games, not to mention Holos being scratched on a regular basis.

From what im seeing night in and night out, Wilson has been given an opportunity and hasnt grabbed it. He looks down right terrible out there some nights. At least with Cumiskey there is an offensive upside. Cumiskey has a lot still to learn and I think he will be a more effective player than Wilson IMO.

As for trading Yip, it would be in a package with Koci and Wilson to bring in another Right Winger. But currently as it stands in full health i believe our lines should be:

I agree that Wilson has had some bad games this season but I am also in the camp that doesn’t believe he is as bad as the posts on this discussion make him out to be. While Holos is faster, Wilson has more grit and someone has to take the hard hitting reins from Footer when his age finally catches up to him.

K22above

Yeah, 6-5 OT games are fun to watch. No doubt. From a pure entertainment perspective, it’s great. And it’s also fantastic to see Duchene pick up the pace. The kid has kicked it into overdrive, which has translated into goals, assists & Av victories. Kudos to you Matt.

Unfortunately the defense reeks to high heaven. Just an atrocious performance YET AGAIN last night. Sure wish management could find a decent D-man somewhere who could play solid & log some serious minutes.

This team has the potential to be real good if they just can tighten up in their own end & get some more consistent goaltending.

This team isn’t going to work with big sluggish D men on the blue line. Its painfully obvious when 52 is on the ice, though the Captain makes up for it with his presence. I agree that we have to tighten up and be able to rely on Andy a bit more, and I think that will come as (hopefully) the roster gets some consistency and these guys get comfortable. This is a style of hockey we haven’t seen before and you make sacrifices in your end when you fly like this on offense, this team isn’t in the business of winning 1-0 and 2-1 hockey games.

Tkfunman

I Love this type of hockey! The d is hurting right now and 52 is slower than most glaciers anymore, but this team reminds me a lot of the first 3 years the teams were in Denver. I don’t remember 33 posting too many shutouts and I do remember 19 pulling out many games in the last few minutes. Wish for more d-men, ask for a slower game.

Yeah, 6-5 OT games are fun to watch. No doubt. From a pure entertainment perspective, it’s great. And it’s also fantastic to see Duchene pick up the pace. The kid has kicked it into overdrive, which has translated into goals, assists & Av victories. Kudos to you Matt.

Unfortunately the defense reeks to high heaven. Just an atrocious performance YET AGAIN last night. Sure wish management could find a decent D-man somewhere who could play solid & log some serious minutes.

This team has the potential to be real good if they just can tighten up in their own end & get some more consistent goaltending.

This team isn’t going to work with big sluggish D men on the blue line. Its painfully obvious when 52 is on the ice, though the Captain makes up for it with his presence. I agree that we have to tighten up and be able to rely on Andy a bit more, and I think that will come as (hopefully) the roster gets some consistency and these guys get comfortable. This is a style of hockey we haven’t seen before and you make sacrifices in your end when you fly like this on offense, this team isn’t in the business of winning 1-0 and 2-1 hockey games.

Tkfunman

I Love this type of hockey! The d is hurting right now and 52 is slower than most glaciers anymore, but this team reminds me a lot of the first 3 years the teams were in Denver. I don’t remember 33 posting too many shutouts and I do remember 19 pulling out many games in the last few minutes. Wish for more d-men, ask for a slower game.

sorry about your Beemer needing repairs but it is a BMW (Break My Wallet).

so the Avs have the youngest, fastest, and highest scoring team in the NHL and that is with generally 4 of their top 6 forwards out plus Jones taking a few games off (0 goals, 3 assists in 8 games)… now that is depth. Going to be an interesting time following this team for the next few years.

Jay

AD

sorry about your Beemer needing repairs but it is a BMW (Break My Wallet).

so the Avs have the youngest, fastest, and highest scoring team in the NHL and that is with generally 4 of their top 6 forwards out plus Jones taking a few games off (0 goals, 3 assists in 8 games)… now that is depth. Going to be an interesting time following this team for the next few years.

NickQuebec

Duchene, who is looking more Sakic-ian !!!!!!!! Calm Down DATER, Calm Down !!!!

you get too excited when your talking about Duchene and you are so dishonest when you are talking about Stastny …

a little Integrity please !

Ttuccy

Relaxxxxxxx he didn’t say Duchene is better then Sakic, or even as good as Sakic. He was just saying he had a Sakic play, and can step up when needed, just like Super Joe. I think everyone should be excited when talking about Duchene. I wish i was as good as him haha

NickQuebec

i know what he said !!!!i like Duchene a lot don’t get me wrong , it’s just a matter of being fair when he is talking about Stastny that’s all…

Ttuccy

haha yea your right Stats doesnt get enough credit and to much crap (from what we see from certain posters here). He does so much more then get points.

Yeah man, Dater has a palpable distaste for Paul Stastny and a huge man on boy crush for Dutchy. My theory is off the ice Stastny’s a bully and Daters a huge nerd, so AD identifies more with Dutchy who is also clearly a huge nerd. Just a theory I’m working on.

Ttuccy

hahahaha thats awesome

NickQuebec

Dater likes rock star a la Jose Theo’OPEN’door, low profile like Stastny he does not like..

It’s just an analogy. Duchene is starting to play like Sakic did. When his team needed him, he stepped up. That’s all.

NickQuebec

Duchene, who is looking more Sakic-ian !!!!!!!! Calm Down DATER, Calm Down !!!!

you get too excited when your talking about Duchene and you are so dishonest when you are talking about Stastny …

a little Integrity please !

Ttuccy

Relaxxxxxxx he didn’t say Duchene is better then Sakic, or even as good as Sakic. He was just saying he had a Sakic play, and can step up when needed, just like Super Joe. I think everyone should be excited when talking about Duchene. I wish i was as good as him haha

NickQuebec

i know what he said !!!!i like Duchene a lot don’t get me wrong , it’s just a matter of being fair when he is talking about Stastny that’s all…

Ttuccy

haha yea your right Stats doesnt get enough credit and to much crap (from what we see from certain posters here). He does so much more then get points.

Yeah man, Dater has a palpable distaste for Paul Stastny and a huge man on boy crush for Dutchy. My theory is off the ice Stastny’s a bully and Daters a huge nerd, so AD identifies more with Dutchy who is also clearly a huge nerd. Just a theory I’m working on.

Ttuccy

hahahaha thats awesome

NickQuebec

Dater likes rock star a la Jose Theo’OPEN’door, low profile like Stastny he does not like..

Ahh the dreaded ‘Dater Curse’ has been bestowed upon our beloved avs. Play over your heads and pull out a string of 1 goal victories and all of a sudden you’re a dynasty in the making. Now would be a good time to head to the sports book and start betting against this team as Dater just jinxed the bleep out of us.

The Avs offense in no secret its great. However, are you really going to put the weight of a team on two 19 year old kids to go in there and score 5+ goals a night because of horrible goal-tending. Anderson has done nothing right in the net. The best two games hes had was Atlanta and Washington, after that, its just been an empty net. The Avalanche can win the cup easy this year, but not without a goalie. I say bring back Budaj who kept this team in the standings and played pretty consistent. Its all about consistent goal-tending. When your goalie gets scored on while he has his back to the play because hes playing like a drunk baby, theres cause for concern in Denver.

americanario

As much as I like Budaj, and as much as I agree that he held the fort while Andy was out, he is not the answer. The problem is not the goalies, though they haven’t been the answer either. The problem is the defense. When both goalies are averaging 3+ goals against, when the teams has allowed 3+ goals in 23 of their 31 games, you have a problem and it’s called defense. The defense is simply not stopping the other team most nights.

Masterhockeygoalie33

I agree that defense is the problem. But lets go back in our minds and replay all the weak goals he’s let up, those are costly in a game and even more in a season. I love watching the Avs score 4+ goals a night, but I hate seeing the other team score 3-5 goals and its safe to say half of those goals should have been easy stops. I also agree Budaj isn’t the answer, but Anderson needs to get back to last years form before it starts to be called a fluke.

Haydon28

Anderson will be fine, he can step up his game when required. Remember the saint of past cups. Roy had from time to time allowed 5, 6 goals against. Great goalies find a way to beat the opposition and win games. GAA is not that important.

Tkfunman

Great goalies find a way and Roy was one of those before we ever saw him play in Denver. Andy still has to get a couple of Cups before he begins to measure up to Roy and he HAS given up very WEAK goals every game since he has been back. He does stand on his head many times a game. But his game is not anywhere near where it was last year. He let in at least 3 bad goals against Ottawa, I bet he would say the same. 3 bad goals out of 5 let in means it isn’t JUST the defense letting the scores rise for the opposition.

Haydon28

You really should look at Budaj’s stats on last 7 starts.

Masterhockeygoalie33

From November 13th to November 15th he let up 3 goals in every game. In that stretch the Avs went 3-3. Obviously we lacked some offensive power in 3 of those games, but we are the top scoring team, so 3 goals isn’t that many. His 3 starts after that went 4, 3, 6. The 6 was in Tampa Bay and he was weak in that game, however the Avs were flat in most aspects despite scoring 5 goals.
Anderson’s last 5 games hes given up, 2,2,5,3,5. I admit looking at that it looks better. However, as I said before, look at the quality of the goals he lets up compared to Budaj. Budaj is no answer in the net, but Andy needs to sharpen up. Last year he ranked high in the league for all stats, this year hes slacking. I know some people will argue hes been hurt and hasn’t found his rhythm, well I’ll give him a few more games. The offense in Denver is amazing, however, against some teams that can score and play defense we’re going to get in trouble. However, I argue that Colorado is a top 5 team right now and a contender.

Masterhockeygoalie33

The Avs offense in no secret its great. However, are you really going to put the weight of a team on two 19 year old kids to go in there and score 5+ goals a night because of horrible goal-tending. Anderson has done nothing right in the net. The best two games hes had was Atlanta and Washington, after that, its just been an empty net. The Avalanche can win the cup easy this year, but not without a goalie. I say bring back Budaj who kept this team in the standings and played pretty consistent. Its all about consistent goal-tending. When your goalie gets scored on while he has his back to the play because hes playing like a drunk baby, theres cause for concern in Denver.

americanario

As much as I like Budaj, and as much as I agree that he held the fort while Andy was out, he is not the answer. The problem is not the goalies, though they haven’t been the answer either. The problem is the defense. When both goalies are averaging 3+ goals against, when the teams has allowed 3+ goals in 23 of their 31 games, you have a problem and it’s called defense. The defense is simply not stopping the other team most nights.

Masterhockeygoalie33

I agree that defense is the problem. But lets go back in our minds and replay all the weak goals he’s let up, those are costly in a game and even more in a season. I love watching the Avs score 4+ goals a night, but I hate seeing the other team score 3-5 goals and its safe to say half of those goals should have been easy stops. I also agree Budaj isn’t the answer, but Anderson needs to get back to last years form before it starts to be called a fluke.

Haydon28

Anderson will be fine, he can step up his game when required. Remember the saint of past cups. Roy had from time to time allowed 5, 6 goals against. Great goalies find a way to beat the opposition and win games. GAA is not that important.

Tkfunman

Great goalies find a way and Roy was one of those before we ever saw him play in Denver. Andy still has to get a couple of Cups before he begins to measure up to Roy and he HAS given up very WEAK goals every game since he has been back. He does stand on his head many times a game. But his game is not anywhere near where it was last year. He let in at least 3 bad goals against Ottawa, I bet he would say the same. 3 bad goals out of 5 let in means it isn’t JUST the defense letting the scores rise for the opposition.

Haydon28

You really should look at Budaj’s stats on last 7 starts.

Masterhockeygoalie33

From November 13th to November 15th he let up 3 goals in every game. In that stretch the Avs went 3-3. Obviously we lacked some offensive power in 3 of those games, but we are the top scoring team, so 3 goals isn’t that many. His 3 starts after that went 4, 3, 6. The 6 was in Tampa Bay and he was weak in that game, however the Avs were flat in most aspects despite scoring 5 goals.
Anderson’s last 5 games hes given up, 2,2,5,3,5. I admit looking at that it looks better. However, as I said before, look at the quality of the goals he lets up compared to Budaj. Budaj is no answer in the net, but Andy needs to sharpen up. Last year he ranked high in the league for all stats, this year hes slacking. I know some people will argue hes been hurt and hasn’t found his rhythm, well I’ll give him a few more games. The offense in Denver is amazing, however, against some teams that can score and play defense we’re going to get in trouble. However, I argue that Colorado is a top 5 team right now and a contender.

Bob in Boulder

Great post AD. For the love of Roy, KSE, start marketing the hell out this team. Creatively. Humorously. Get the word out. The best ticket in town, by far, is once again the Colorado Avalanche!

Bob in Boulder

Great post AD. For the love of Roy, KSE, start marketing the hell out this team. Creatively. Humorously. Get the word out. The best ticket in town, by far, is once again the Colorado Avalanche!

Guest

It’s funny how all the Duchene haters have pretty much disappeared over the last 10-15 games. Of course, he’s go on a 5-6 game slump at some point, then they’ll all come back, but still, it’s nice to have him shutting them up right now.

TMO42

We slapped down the Duchene haters the second they came in, they never stood a chance with their pure ignorance.

Kid is amazing with the puck and is demonstrating he can score when the team really needs a goal.

Can you imagine this guy when he’s 22-23? This team is going to be good for a LONG time.

Why isn’t anyone talking about Dutchy’s neck? That thing is thicker than that St. Bernard we picked up at mascot.

Guest

It’s funny how all the Duchene haters have pretty much disappeared over the last 10-15 games. Of course, he’s go on a 5-6 game slump at some point, then they’ll all come back, but still, it’s nice to have him shutting them up right now.

TMO42

We slapped down the Duchene haters the second they came in, they never stood a chance with their pure ignorance.

Kid is amazing with the puck and is demonstrating he can score when the team really needs a goal.

Can you imagine this guy when he’s 22-23? This team is going to be good for a LONG time.

Why isn’t anyone talking about Dutchy’s neck? That thing is thicker than that St. Bernard we picked up at mascot.

TMO42

I thought Mauldin was unbelievable tonight. Don’t think he was on the score sheet, but OMG… That dude is in this league to STAY, he ain’t goin’ back if continues that passion and tenacity. Kid scares the crap out of the opposition, he is all over the puck, love it.

TMO42

I thought Mauldin was unbelievable tonight. Don’t think he was on the score sheet, but OMG… That dude is in this league to STAY, he ain’t goin’ back if continues that passion and tenacity. Kid scares the crap out of the opposition, he is all over the puck, love it.

It was interesting to see the Avs struggle a lit bit on the power play without Statsny. I understand, they scored, but they had difficulty setting up the PP.

Mauldin is fun to watch, the guy brings it every game, also good to see Yip and Mcleod getting into the dirty areas, they need to do that more.

I would bench Wilson again for a game or two, let Holos play, but there is no need to get rid of Wilson, this is only his second full-time year of playing. Dmen take time to develop, especially the young one’s coming from junior.

Guest

It was interesting to see the Avs struggle a lit bit on the power play without Statsny. I understand, they scored, but they had difficulty setting up the PP.

Mauldin is fun to watch, the guy brings it every game, also good to see Yip and Mcleod getting into the dirty areas, they need to do that more.

I would bench Wilson again for a game or two, let Holos play, but there is no need to get rid of Wilson, this is only his second full-time year of playing. Dmen take time to develop, especially the young one’s coming from junior.

You’ll probably try to claim journalistic integrity or something, but I can’t believe you picked Alfy as a star last night. He had 2 terrible penalties and in my opinion only the third or fourth best guy on the Senators last night.

That being said, you had an opportunity to pump up that building and you deflated it. You could feel the collective shock in the crowd. Mauldin, Dupuis, and Liles could’ve each taken a star and nobody would have thought twice about it. I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.

Anonymous

That’s why I hate picking the stars. I find it difficult to pick them hastily like we have to do, and we have to pick them with about 7 minutes left in the third period.

Tkfunman

So Dutchy was your first star of the night with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd? I’m not trying to be a jerk, but that comment seems a little less than complete when the game winner in OT is often the 1st star.

You’ll probably try to claim journalistic integrity or something, but I can’t believe you picked Alfy as a star last night. He had 2 terrible penalties and in my opinion only the third or fourth best guy on the Senators last night.

That being said, you had an opportunity to pump up that building and you deflated it. You could feel the collective shock in the crowd. Mauldin, Dupuis, and Liles could’ve each taken a star and nobody would have thought twice about it. I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.

Anonymous

That’s why I hate picking the stars. I find it difficult to pick them hastily like we have to do, and we have to pick them with about 7 minutes left in the third period.

Tkfunman

So Dutchy was your first star of the night with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd? I’m not trying to be a jerk, but that comment seems a little less than complete when the game winner in OT is often the 1st star.

I’m a 75 year old ex coach/player so I’m not going to put down any young guys still in their prime. Yes, Mr. Anderson does seem to be having a little tough go of it lately but, as a coach and defenseman, I always felt that goalies lived in their own world somewhere between Mars and Jupiter (out there with the asteeroids). I do think that Mr. Anderson is overcommiting a bit and he might be right in saying that he’s still adjusting to his defensive players. To be perfectly honest, Mr. Budaj seems to be an awful sucker for the bad angle shot and he hasn’t been the answer to our defensive dilemas either. Give them a little more time but I do get concerned about such outlandish goals against.

Masterhockeygoalie33

It makes me nervous when I see my goalie go rolling around unnecessarily that would of made the Senators go up by two and most likely we wouldn’t have recovered. Andy has his trouble with angles but I think he needs to stop humping the post and move out to the crease and higher. Also to close his damn legs! How many goals have you seen go through that 5 hole. We’ll see how he plays against the top goalie in the league Carry Price, big test.

An old coot

I’m a 75 year old ex coach/player so I’m not going to put down any young guys still in their prime. Yes, Mr. Anderson does seem to be having a little tough go of it lately but, as a coach and defenseman, I always felt that goalies lived in their own world somewhere between Mars and Jupiter (out there with the asteeroids). I do think that Mr. Anderson is overcommiting a bit and he might be right in saying that he’s still adjusting to his defensive players. To be perfectly honest, Mr. Budaj seems to be an awful sucker for the bad angle shot and he hasn’t been the answer to our defensive dilemas either. Give them a little more time but I do get concerned about such outlandish goals against.

Masterhockeygoalie33

It makes me nervous when I see my goalie go rolling around unnecessarily that would of made the Senators go up by two and most likely we wouldn’t have recovered. Andy has his trouble with angles but I think he needs to stop humping the post and move out to the crease and higher. Also to close his damn legs! How many goals have you seen go through that 5 hole. We’ll see how he plays against the top goalie in the league Carry Price, big test.

TIM

Am I the only one who cannot stand the game calling by Mike Haynes? He almost entirely missed the goal that gave the Sens the lead late in the 3rd period because he was too busy talking about the movie Christmas Vacation. He spends way too much time giving meaningless statistics and telling stories. Hockey is too fast-paced a game for that. He would be more suited to calling a baseball game. Mike does a fine job when he sticks to calling the action on the ice. He needs to start doing that and leave all of the needless chatting behind.
Tim

Aaron S.

Haynes is awesome. You can thank Altitude for doing the in-game poll that Haynes HAS to talk about; that’s part of his job on TV.

Tkfunman

Wow! Really? Mike Haynes is one of the premiere play-by-play men in the business. We are fortunate to have him and Peter McNabb on Altitude although the network kind of angers me with the JIP games on HD channel. You want to hear meaningless drivel with a few plays called, listen to Doc Emerick, wherever his lame ass landed when he quit doing every national game for Fox and then VS. Admittedly, Mr. Haynes has an occasional (once every few games or so) lapse of memory since his illness of a couple seasons ago. BTW, I watch 10 – 15 games a week as a disabled Marine confined to my bed many days a week. So I have heard ALL the other play-by-play announcers and for the US teams, Mike Haynes is my personal favorite.

TMO42

Agreed, our guys are top notch. That guy Joe for the Capitals drives me insane, can’t listen to him. I think Marc Moser is outstanding and think he deserves a shot at a big time TV gig.

I used to listen to him on sports talk and he was cool but he was absolutely born to announce hockey games. I would choose him over 90% of the guys I hear around the league.

Brad

You wanna hear bad play-calling, listen to the Pens, Wings, or Caps. Those three teams are painful to listen to.

TIM

Am I the only one who cannot stand the game calling by Mike Haynes? He almost entirely missed the goal that gave the Sens the lead late in the 3rd period because he was too busy talking about the movie Christmas Vacation. He spends way too much time giving meaningless statistics and telling stories. Hockey is too fast-paced a game for that. He would be more suited to calling a baseball game. Mike does a fine job when he sticks to calling the action on the ice. He needs to start doing that and leave all of the needless chatting behind.
Tim

Aaron S.

Haynes is awesome. You can thank Altitude for doing the in-game poll that Haynes HAS to talk about; that’s part of his job on TV.

Tkfunman

Wow! Really? Mike Haynes is one of the premiere play-by-play men in the business. We are fortunate to have him and Peter McNabb on Altitude although the network kind of angers me with the JIP games on HD channel. You want to hear meaningless drivel with a few plays called, listen to Doc Emerick, wherever his lame ass landed when he quit doing every national game for Fox and then VS. Admittedly, Mr. Haynes has an occasional (once every few games or so) lapse of memory since his illness of a couple seasons ago. BTW, I watch 10 – 15 games a week as a disabled Marine confined to my bed many days a week. So I have heard ALL the other play-by-play announcers and for the US teams, Mike Haynes is my personal favorite.

TMO42

Agreed, our guys are top notch. That guy Joe for the Capitals drives me insane, can’t listen to him. I think Marc Moser is outstanding and think he deserves a shot at a big time TV gig.

I used to listen to him on sports talk and he was cool but he was absolutely born to announce hockey games. I would choose him over 90% of the guys I hear around the league.

Brad

You wanna hear bad play-calling, listen to the Pens, Wings, or Caps. Those three teams are painful to listen to.

Gregg

The problem with the argument of “losing top guys”, is that none of the top guys, aside from Mueller (if you really want to call him a top guy) are going to miss the entire season. It’s not like Stewart has been told he won’t play again this year. It’s not like Stastny won’t be back soon. There has not been any devastating injury to a top player like a torn ACL. Every team gets minor injuries, and Stewart’s hand is considered minor in the NHL.

The Avs also are probably peaking at the wrong time of the season. They are bound to tail off. Defense is what wins in th playoffs and when it matters, and the Avs have none at all. Offense can sometimes get you to the playoffs, but that’s where it ends (see Washington Capitals.) The Avs, while exciting, are not going very far with this group until Sacco makes them play defense.

You are treating the “losing top guys” argument as if it were some excuse for poor play. Its more of a testament to the depth and style of play we’re showing as an organization. It goes back to my take on the recent trades, which I thought showed that this club has a specific vision for what kind of hockey we’re going to play and went out and got guys who fit the mold.

What I feel is being carelessly overlooked in the flaming of the team’s defensive play of late is that we are, in fact, missing several of our top two way forwards. You can call gaining Gally and losing Stastny for a game a wash on the back end, but the consistency that Stewart and Hejduk show at both ends of the ice make a huge difference in the transition game. When (and if) this club gets healthy I think we’ll see a lot more consistency in our own end and settle all this excitement about our defensive woes.

Gregg

The problem with the argument of “losing top guys”, is that none of the top guys, aside from Mueller (if you really want to call him a top guy) are going to miss the entire season. It’s not like Stewart has been told he won’t play again this year. It’s not like Stastny won’t be back soon. There has not been any devastating injury to a top player like a torn ACL. Every team gets minor injuries, and Stewart’s hand is considered minor in the NHL.

The Avs also are probably peaking at the wrong time of the season. They are bound to tail off. Defense is what wins in th playoffs and when it matters, and the Avs have none at all. Offense can sometimes get you to the playoffs, but that’s where it ends (see Washington Capitals.) The Avs, while exciting, are not going very far with this group until Sacco makes them play defense.

You are treating the “losing top guys” argument as if it were some excuse for poor play. Its more of a testament to the depth and style of play we’re showing as an organization. It goes back to my take on the recent trades, which I thought showed that this club has a specific vision for what kind of hockey we’re going to play and went out and got guys who fit the mold.

What I feel is being carelessly overlooked in the flaming of the team’s defensive play of late is that we are, in fact, missing several of our top two way forwards. You can call gaining Gally and losing Stastny for a game a wash on the back end, but the consistency that Stewart and Hejduk show at both ends of the ice make a huge difference in the transition game. When (and if) this club gets healthy I think we’ll see a lot more consistency in our own end and settle all this excitement about our defensive woes.

KG

Freakin awesome article Dater thank you, I hope avs read this and start going to games a full house would make this team even better!!!
Love this team and watch them every night they really are the amazin’ AVS

KG

Freakin awesome article Dater thank you, I hope avs read this and start going to games a full house would make this team even better!!!
Love this team and watch them every night they really are the amazin’ AVS

avalanchejeff

AD this is one of the best writes you have ever done. Bravo!!!!!!

avalanchejeff

AD this is one of the best writes you have ever done. Bravo!!!!!!

Anonymous

Based on your comments, I never would have guessed you were one of “us”.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.